


Parenting: A Guide to Navigating the Unexpected

by Cloud_Strife



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Adorable Ventus (Kingdom Hearts), Alternate Universe - Foster Family, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Male Character, Childhood Trauma, Claiming Bites, Cloud Strife Needs a Hug, Dad Squall, Dad cloud, Daddy Issues, Domestic Fluff, Don't Mess with Leon's Cubs, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Foster Care, Gay Panic, Goths, Hurt Cloud Strife, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Loss of Parent(s), M/M, Minor Roxas/Original Character(s), Minor Violence, Murder, POV Alternating, Pansexual Character, Past Abuse, Past Relationship(s), Protective Squall Leonhart, Reconciliation, Sephiroth is NOT a good person, Sora Is a Ray of Sunshine (Kingdom Hearts), Sora is a good boy, Squall Leonhart being Squall Leonhart, Strangers to Lovers, Tags Are Fun, Unexpected Visitors, Young Vincent Valentine, like all my fics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:28:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27759139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cloud_Strife/pseuds/Cloud_Strife
Summary: One day Cloud was living the single, happily traditional goth life with the occasional individual (identity irrelevant) spending time in his bed. The next there's three boys all dropped on his doorstep he doesn't believe are really his and several sob stories about mothers he doesn't even remember. Cloud hates children and never imagined himself becoming a father to even one. So when he puts these three up for adoption, he expects it to be the end of it.He was wrong.
Relationships: Cloud Strife/Vincent Valentine, Cloud/Leon (Kingdom Hearts), Leon (Kingdom Hearts)/Squall Leonhart/Cloud Strife, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Roxas (Kingdom Hearts)/Original Character(s)
Kudos: 29





	1. Expecting the Unexpected

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be a rather sad tale, but if you stick by it you'll find it's also rather happy.

You know those days that just start out so well?  
  
You know the feeling, right?  
  
You just wake up and realize that your back or head (or whatever normally hurts) isn't causing you issues and you think: 'damn I feel good'. It's almost refreshing to you. It's just a sense of lethargic euphoria leaving your limbs and body numbly comfortable. 'It's going to be a wonderful day' you might think, perhaps even opening your eyes with a grin or stretching lazily before swinging your legs off the bed. Then incrementally over the course of the day you find that 'holy shit' that was just the lubrication for what _fuckery_ life was about to throw against your ass. And by the time you slam back into bed that night you wished you'd never grinned that morning and swung out like an acrobat, all happy sensations and hopeful feelings for the day to come. In fact, you wished you'd never even woke. As far as you were concerned (in 2020 hindsight) you could have slept through the entire day and since you hadn't you wanted nothing but to claw your eyes out and scream into a pillow.

That was Cloud's day...on a random Monday in fucking December.

It was bitterly cold outside, but Cloud was perfectly content as he awoke among the midst of soft sheets and the scent of late-night sex. He'd left the Black Inertia (the local goth club, and for that matter - the only one within a 200 mile radius) last night at god knows what time with somebody who's name slipped his mind. They'd already vacated his bed, leaving a lacy looking pair of panties and a soft note to call them again later.

Cloud wouldn't, of course. 

It wasn't personal, just that it'd be an awkward conversation trying to figure out who the hell they were even if he wasn't only interested in a one night stand. 

He liked the anonymity of mindless, no strings attached sex. It was relieving to not have to worry about mornings after, but still share mutual pleasure. Obviously he was smart enough to get checked as often as he could, don't get him wrong; he just still felt it mutually beneficial to engage frequently.

It was a nice distraction, is all.

So as he awoke (the lingering feeling of pleasure still settled in his lower abdomen and a sense of comfort despite the strenuous activities he completed in the wee hours of the night) Cloud slid out of bed, went to his washroom, and quickly rinsed himself down: completing the usual morning activities. It was only after he'd popped his Venlafaxine (he wouldn't have gotten it proscribed if his friend Aerith didn't threaten him if he didn't) the male heard his doorbell ring. Cloud came to two conclusions.

One: it was Aerith and Tifa come to make sure was 'taking care of himself' (as if he was unable to). Or two: it was the individual from the night before either stalking him (it had happened before) or coming back because they left a piece of garment behind. 

Rolling his blue eyes (so icy and vibrant they glowed with something his mother refused to tell him about as a child, avoiding the topic like a plague) he clasped the nearest shirt he could find and wrapped a towel around his waist to try and cover up his junk (just in case - ahem - it really was Tifa or Aerith). He hadn't even gotten time enough to get his bearings by the time the next several dings and dongs of his doorbell started to grate on his nerves. It was like somebody was childishly activating the doorbell over and over just to press Cloud's own set of personalized buttons. "Shut up!" He finally snarled, ready to add an 'I'm coming' to that statement. His eye peaked through the spy-hole to check the status on whom was at his door only to see several gravity defying set of hairlines and an arm that flew past. It startled Cloud out of shock for a moment before he rolled his eyes. This was likely the local cub scout group again, looking for donations to god knows what from every person in his complex. 

He knew that Cid's wife would probably be a better target, especially since Cloud tended to despise children. He just wasn't a big fan of the screaming, kicking, and associated smells children drug along. In fact, when his sister Lightning had her own children he'd went out of his way to avoid her brood as much as possible. He hadn't actually spoken to her for years. Then again, it wasn't like many members of his family tended to speak to each-other, too many bad memories.

Grunting as the door got caught on it's chain he pushed it forward and unlocked the stubborn metal. It was one of those few moments, first world moments to be exact, that someone wondered why it had to be them that the door god's cursed. In the end, Cloud finally got the door opened and bemusedly stared at three boys of differentiating ages. Two looked about the same age, but one was slightly shorter than the other. The tallest had special black hair and luminescent eyes, vibrant as the forest and about as wild. His outfit was obviously Gothic ( _he may be a gremlin, but at least he had good taste_ , noted Cloud internally) and he carried luggage behind him with tightly clasping hands. The second, right next to him, had chestnut hair and vibrant blue hues. He sported a black hoodie and dark grey pants. The third meanwhile was much younger than the other two - he clung to the brunette like his life depended upon it. The youngest had dark black hair and unusually golden eyes that sunk right into the depths of Cloud's soul.

It was almost terrifying.

Almost.

What was more terrifying was what came next for Cloud, leaving his mouth dry and his eyes widened with disbelief.

"Dad?" Came the voice of the brunette - who looked giddy and equally frightened at the same time.

"W-what?" Cloud was left speechless by the assessment. His heart rate sped up and his throat tightened. It was almost like he could only hear these three from very far away, whatever they were suddenly panicking about.

_Wait...when did the ceiling become so far away?_

_Wait...when did I start looking at it?_

**Thud.**


	2. Aerith to the Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Cloud has Aerith baby sit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Knock knock, who's there? 
> 
> Your friendly neighbourhood Sora, man!
> 
> Okay, that pun is done. Here's what you're really here for:

The past few minutes had the Gothic blonde's mind spinning like he'd been put upside down on an out of control merry-go-round. Or perhaps it was more accurate to suggest he was on an anti-gravity ride, as his chest was tight, vision spinning, and mind was reeling. After waking up from passing out Cloud had spent about five minutes pacing, four internally screaming, three listening, and two grabbing clothing (and a partridge in a pear tree-). Now, Cloud's hands were clasped together and stationed over his mouth as the build-up of the thoughts in his head were far too much for his cranium.

Every time he tried to think it through his brain just short-circuited; "Review again." He finally mentioned over a long period of silence, throat impossibly tight.

The oldest was the one to answer his call: although he looked more than a little exasperated; "I'm Saxon, this is my fraternal twin Sora and our half-brother Vanitas: we're your sons." (Cloud's stomach did a 360 yet again, -) "-our mothers..." The dark-haired teen seemed to clean up his language, deliberately phrasing it in front of Vanitas so as not to mention the more explicit side too conception (not that Saxon would probably like to focus on that anyways); "...well...they were friends...and helped each-other raise us..." 

Cloud was still trying to wrap his brain around all of it, even if he had his doubts as to the coincidence of the last 'fact'; "You expect me to believe I had s-" He cut off as Saxon gave him a death glare, rubbing his eyes in frustration. This was why he didn't get along with children, he always said the wrong things or did something to make the parents angry. Although Saxon wasn't the parent, it was 'apparent' that he'd taken over responsibility for the rest. Cloud just didn't live a child-friendly life at all, nor was his demeanour suited for daycare. Indeed, rather than elaborate on the previous sentence, the blonde moved forward; "Your mothers just happened to be 'friends'?"

Sora mentioned with a tentative tone; "...I mean...yeah it _sooooounds_ impossible. But...I mean it is! _It totally is_...we're-" The Brunette, Sora, was stopped short by the darker haired individual, who looked slightly frustrated with his brother ( _assuming he really is_ , thought Cloud suspiciously).

"You **_can_ **get a fraternity test if you wish." The raven-haired teenager, previously introduced as Saxon, mentioned. "But _I can_ assure you, you'll find our DNA matching with yours." Saxon was goth, unlike the other two (at least as far as Cloud could decipher). Admittedly, the more he thought it through, Cloud did see a great deal of himself in the darker haired teenager: down to the countenance. Cloud could almost see his teenage self slouching in the same position, all glares at the wall and uncomfortable staring at anything besides his old man. Yet there was a mild sense of hope behind those spiteful eyes that Cloud couldn't quite decipher.

"You expect me to believe...that you just happened to track me down on a whim?" Cloud was mildly annoyed, especially since he'd received no word what-so-ever that he'd helped in the conception of not one, not two, but **_three_** gremlins. Yet even despite his irritation, deep down he was still concerned, whether he wanted to admit as such or not; "And where are your mothers anyway?" The older two of the three flinched harshly and Cloud immediately clamped his mouth shut with a crack of white teeth. He'd hit a sore spot for them, it would seem. Pursing his lips tightly, the blond felt mild guilt despite himself.

Cloud was surprised to hear the voice of the youngest answer his question - or at least start to; "M'm and aunt Lu took a care ride to the store...but they haven't come back, yet."

"They..." Saxon started to mention, pausing only long enough to pull the youngest of the three up from where he'd been hanging off him so that he may hand him to Sora for a distraction. Cloud watched as Sora started making goofy faces at Vanitas, causing the boy to grab at his features and giggle in confusion and amusement. Cloud was quickly distracted by Saxon's quiet tone though; "They did take a care ride but...they're not coming back."

It hit Cloud after a few, choking and tense, seconds of silence what had occurred. Cloud felt a twinge of pity flit through his heart despite the cold demeanour he normally was showing throughout this scenario (even if he occasionally interspersed that with absolute panic over the unexpected). They were trying to cover up the death of their mothers for the youngest and take care of him, even not being fully grown themselves. He'd heard Lightning mention something about the fact that there was no 'guide to parenting' available, but he'd seen enough parenting books on the shelves, in passing, that he hadn't believed it. Seeing this changed his perspective slightly.

They had nobody to look after them, only each-other and a vague understanding of the cruel world and whatever caused them to get here to him (however that was).

The pity was vanquished however when Cloud realized he didn't lead the kind of lifestyle that would be suited for one child, let alone two teenagers and a five-year-old. "I'm not sure I have a solution for you."

Saxon looked less than surprised as if this reaction was something he expected. Looking at Saxon, Cloud was reminded of his own expression when his father would tell him his birthday wasn't important enough to celebrate and that made his throat tighten slightly. He scrambled for something he could do in his mind upon spotting this: after all, they did seem like alright kids. He'd hate for them to die out on the streets when they at least had hoped for some lifeline in him. "Look...maybe..." Cloud hesitated to say it, but ended up giving into his sense of pity; "...maybe we can track down..." Two out of three of them looked so genuine and hopeful it made Cloud's heart clench, yet again, despite himself. Rather than finishing that statement and breaking their hearts, he backtracked and tried again. "I know someone...who might be able to help."

Aerith, the ever saving grace in his life, _par frickin' usual_ , was the only person who had a good chance of knowing how to handle this. She worked with children as a paediatrician and probably knew how to handle the unusual situation Cloud had been forced into. 

" _Sooooooo_...does that mean we can stay here Dad?" Sora mentioned with an awkward grin.

Cloud found his heart lurch at the mentioned name and swallowed back the internalized fear. "We'll see where we can get you comfortable." He said, surprised at the level tone. He seemingly had managed to force himself to remain neutral despite his heart-beat pounding it's way into his ears like a bunch of racehorses. It was probably best if they didn't see just how overwhelmed he was by all this, they already had their own issues to deal with after all. "And you can call me Cloud."

"O-Oh..." Sora looked a little taken aback and struggled with the words in his mouth. He'd yet again let his emotions take control before precedent and that set Cloud off a little. "Okay, D-...Cloud!" What a role reversal, it was usually the kid who struggled to call someone 'dad', not the other way around. Or was it? Ack, Cloud may never have that figured out. Family stuff was too complicated for his emotionally stunted life.

It was still slightly suspicious to Cloud how they all could have come from mothers who just happened to be friends, especially given the age gap, but he didn't suppose it mattered much. If he talked to Aerith he'd get her to set them up with some other house and that'd be the end of it. 

No more weird, awkward silences.

No more small golden-eyed gremlin staring into his soul.

No more goofy kid staring at him like he was supposed to do something.

Oh, and no more of that dark-haired teenager glancing at him with a look in his eyes that was too familiar for comfort.

"So...where's _our_ room?" Sora looked around like he expected Cloud to have a family-friendly home already, yet again proving that this kid seemed to think with his heart and not his head.

Cloud quickly scrambled for a response; "I uh...have to make a phone call. We'll figure the details out-" And without much more he made his way into the bedroom, quickly closing the door and taking a moment to scream into his own hands. He had enough of a rainy day fund, so he could probably feed these kids for a few days without worrying over whether he had enough Muney for rent. This was thanks only to his job at the tattoo parlour located in the mall, a shift in which he probably needed to get to within the next hour (on top of everything else) which was just another reminder of how he couldn't be suited for daycare. His days were filled with management at the two-bit tattoo shop at the mall and nights were spent sweaty and either wrapping himself around or being wrapped around a stranger. How the hell was he going to manage this, even for a small period of time?

This day was already so overwhelming he was developing a small headache.

 _ **Aerith**_ -

He needed to call Aerith.

_Concentrate, Cloud. Take a breath. You can and will manage, you always do._

Thanks only to his managerial work at the mall had he'd manage to land himself a new brand of smart-phone, one they'd called a "Gummi" brand, for free. He knew nothing about it and was just grateful to have a phone that wasn't as slow as the Seven Day Itch. Pulling up the contacts he quickly called out to Aerith and began pacing, hoping he could get a hold of her before his shift took over.

Putting it on speaker he sat it down on the nightstand next to his favoured statue of a Gothic dragon with red rubies for eyes and started getting more thoroughly prepared for his day by gathering up work clothes. Really, the Iron Void (the tattoo shop) was pretty loose on expected attire where he worked: particularly for those in charge. This is probably why he preferred to wear the patterned fleece that came up in a turtleneck. Without sleeves, it showed off his muscles nicely and the pin on the front wasn't the worst looking thing, either.

Aerith's voice picked up, "Cloud?"

One could swear the blonde went at lightning speed to answer his phone, relieved to have her pick up. It wasn't easy for him to ask, but: "I need your help-" And after a second of silence the blond added; "Again..."

Aerith seemed ready to tease him about barely addressing her, but picked up on his genuinely overwhelmed tone and decided it was better to focus on his problems. "...What's the matter?"

* * *

He'd had his hands full trying to find a way for all three of them to settle down in their own ways.  
  
Saxon was pretty well behaved when he was curled up on Cloud's leather couch playing his Nintendo Switch or PSP. The trouble he caused was occasional, and that was mostly when Cloud found himself having to sweep up scraps of wood from his carving something not yet discernible from a wood-block the green-eyed teen had with him. Meanwhile, Sora kept following Cloud like a lost puppy: talking with him avidly about all the things he wanted to do with Cloud. The blonde didn't have the heart to tell him what his intentions were, and so he noncommittally responded on occasion as his blue eyes dashed about the room for a distraction. And Vanitas-!

Oh, Vanitas-

Vanitas was the worst:. He kept wandering around the apartment, climbing on furniture, getting into Cloud's old boxes, messing with the electronics, and acting out. In his wanderings, Vanitas has already gotten bored enough that he'd had come close to finding the box of Cloud's favourite (ahem) explicit toys and that was something no child should see.

Despite his seemingly rational and responsible attitude in caring for his brothers, when Cloud suggested Saxon should give Vanitas one of his handheld gaming devices Saxon seemed quick to anger and told Cloud that Vanitas had 'his own toys'. The two brothers had squabbled slightly over it and Cloud was left speechless and confused until Sora deescalated the situation like the seeming ball of walking sunshine he is.

It seems like it had been three hours since they'd all arrived even if it had really only been thirty minutes.

So by the time that Aerith got there, Cloud was at his wit's end. He felt like he could kiss her had he still held affection like the old days. Pulling her into the foyer the male rubbed his eyes and mentioned; "You know how to handle two kids and an angsty teenager?" It was deliberately phrased. Sora may have been a teen, but he acted like a happy-go-lucky seven-year-old with stars in his eyes.

Aerith covered her mouth with a smile for a few silent giggles. In the end, she pulled her hand back and clasped them behind her, smiling at him; "I never imagined you to be a father-"

"I'm-" He looked back to ensure they weren't listening before sighing; "I'm not."

Aerith's smile dropped as soon as it came, leaning forward; "You don't look like your not." Observing him carefully, her overt speculation of his well being took hold. She watched the subtle way his head turned away, looking into the wall like it was hyper-entertaining before rolling back on the balls of her feet and nodding; "Alright - so what's your plan?"

"I...I don't know. I can't dump these three out on the street, but I don't lead a family-friendly life. Never have, not even when I was a child." The statement of Cloud's caused Aerith to flinch visibly. Everybody knew his upbringing was never good and that's why it was so hard to get him the medication he needed to deal with his personal trauma.

"They need you." She pointed out stagnantly; "No more games."

"But I can't...be what they need." The blonde let out a breath, "So what do I do with them?"

Aerith could tell Cloud was worried about his brood, even if he wasn't prepared to father. That was one of the things she'd always liked about him. She and Tifa both knew Cloud was really very sweet underneath all his seeming external put-offs. He may act like he could give less of a damn: even sometimes push people away or say something plainly rude; however, to insinuate he didn't care wasn't accurate in the slightest. "Well...I know somebody who works with the system-"

Cloud's voice grew agitated, reminded of his mother's death and father's arrest. "-not an orphanage. I've been there, it's not-"

She shook her head pointedly at Cloud's insinuation, cutting him off; "-No. I know _someone._ Not an orphanage..." She gave him a reassuring smile, to which Cloud only furrowed his eyebrows and fell silent to. "He's very kind. Mysterious and stressed, sometimes, but sweet. His current foster son, Riku, is my patient and he and I are old friends. If I talk to him about their situation, I'm sure he'll take them in - even permanently if they can't find a home to take all three..."

The blonde softened his blue eyes as a breath came out he didn't know he'd been holding. "How soon can he take them...I mean...assuming he does. I'm not sure how much longer I can handle this..." He gestured towards the door that led to his living area. "Besides...I have to check-in. I can't watch them at the Iron Void."

"I can keep them."

"But-" Cloud was quick to start to mention, eyebrows furrowing up.

"I have the day off and if I watch them I can introduce them to Leon."

Leon must have been the 'mysterious' foster father, Cloud concluded; "They really are a han-" He was interrupted.

Of course, it was Aerith shifting the conversation to it's close without concern; "-aren't you late?"

"Uh-shit..." He checked the watch on his wrist before grabbing his keys; "Yeah-" The blonde awkwardly scrambled for a way to thank her; however, being as socially awkward as he is was unable to do so and ended up ducking out after Aerith gave him a reassuring smile that she knew what his sentiment was. By the time the door closed Aerith gave a soft tinkling laugh, knowing the blonde more than anybody else. If one thing threw him off he suddenly became a flustered mess of trying to get his 'shit' handled internally. She was grateful he'd called her; it was probably a step in the right direction. 

Without further pomp nor circumstance she stepped into the room with the three 'trouble makers' Cloud had complained so bitterly (affectionately underneath, Aerith was certain of that) about. "Hello." She smiled at the three comfortingly, her voice having caused them to look up, uncertain and surprised.

"Uh..." Saxon started, looking nervous.

However, it was Sora who took the lead and bounded towards her like a puppy; "Hi! Names Sora!" 

Aerith covered her mouth with a smile when Sora extended his hand. He was an overbearingly endearing extrovert, she could tell that. "Hello, Sora. It's nice to meet you." Vanitas seemed to take a curious cue from Sora, stepping close up to his legs to observe her. It left Aerith's heart to melt and she knelt down to greet him. "Hello...and what's your name?"

"His name is Vanitas!" Sora responded despite having the question not be directed at him.

Saxon was quick to point that out; "She **was** talking to Vanny-"

"-oh! And the broody, bitchy one is Saxon-"

And with that statement courtesy of his twin brother, Saxon chucked a random magazine (sitting on Cloud's coffee table) in Sora's general direction. It bounced off the back of Sora's head, only for him to turn and laugh; "Hey!" With a bad sense of attention span, the brunet launched over his youngest sibling and slammed into the other teenager. "Say _uncle-_!"

"Never!"

" ** _UUUUUNCLLLLLEEE_** -"

"Get off me, _cub-_!" Saxon pushed him off onto the floor, causing Sora to laugh even harder.

Aerith covered her mouth, finding the teenagers' antics endearing even if the language could have been cleaner for her taste's. But she was distracted by the reality of their situation; "Would you three like to take a trip with me? I'd like you to meet a friend of mine."

Saxon's eyes narrowed suspiciously, Vanitas looked back at his brothers for support, and Sora was readily excited for differentiation in the environment; "YES!" The Brunette mentioned loudly, causing Aerith to smile.

She liked this one.

Not that the other two weren't endearing in their own way, by any stretch. In fact, Saxon seemed like a spitting image of Cloud barring green eyes and dark hair that swung out over his right eye.

"Would dad want us to?" Vanitas' voice was dark, but high with the obvious signs of not hitting puberty yet. It probably would sound tremendously like his older brother Sora's someday. Moreover, it had an edge to it Aerith picked up on even at this age.

"Of course. He _ **is** _why I'm watching you." The brunette mentioned, kneeling to his level so as to tuck a small strand of spikes back from where it had strayed. "Plus we can stop by this really nice ice-cream shop along the way. It has all kinds of flavours."

Vanitas' eyes lit up a little, causing Aerith's smile to stretch further. That said, it occurred to her that while Sora and Vanitas seemed fine with her: Saxon was hyper suspect of her prescience. In an attempt to win him over a little, she tentatively looked up and asked; "Is that alright with you, Saxon?" The eldest brother, by a few minutes, gave her a suspicious glare.

"Dude, it's Ice-Cream!" Sora mentioned, grasping his twin's arms and shaking him. "Come on: put down _Verum Rex_ for five seconds and let's get some! Think about it: they might have Sea-Salt! I know you like Sea-Salt-"

Saxon sighed, he knew from the looks of his brothers that he was outmatched in this domestic debate. "...get your shoes, Vanny."

"YES!" Sora bounced towards the door they'd come in from earlier, excited to his last.

As they all got ready: Aerith noticed how caring these brothers were for each-other. Sora and Saxon very carefully aided Vanitas in getting his shoes and coat on, making sure he was well bundled for their trip. Yet, when they were ready to step outside the complex's door Sora only had on a sweater and Saxon a mere pair of worn out boots. It caused her a frown when the realization set in that these eldest brothers must not have actual winter coats. They probably had made the sacrifice of personal well being to ensure Vanitas had his own.

Aerith mentally noted she'd need to mention this to Leon when they had a minute away.

She showed them to her car, Sora screaming excitedly; "SHOTGUN!" And slamming into the front-seat like the maniac with a shit-eating grin that he was. 

Aerith worried with a paediatrician's mind about the fact that she had no car seat for Vanitas. Unfortunately, she hadn't the time to get one that easily when Cloud sounded so stressed over the phone. She made a mental note to drive as carefully as she could and started up the engine only after Saxon had his littlest sibling strapped in with the bottom belt. The drive was filled with Sora singing along to some bad pop song on the radio he'd found, Vanitas verbally counting the signs outside the window, and the occasional angry noise Saxon made after failing for the umpteenth time on his Video Game he'd snuck along. So by the time she pulled up to Squall's and the boys were all either finished with or licking the remnants off of their ice cream she'd gotten used to just a little bit of noise.

Upon pulling up outside she told them all to wait in the car for a few minutes, wanting to ask Leon before she ever brought them in. It was all a formality really, Leon had been adopted into a wealthy family and wanted to give back to the same type of kids he used to be. Moreover, this wasn't the first time she'd brought a child to his doorstep who was in need of a family. Riku was one of her patients from the system and it was thanks to Aerith that he'd hooked up with a father in Leon. 

Really all she had to do was introduce them, then if things worked out they'd figure out how to sign them over to Leon's custody legally. It probably would start with Cloud giving up his rights as a parent, then the process would be expedited through the courts and within a matter of a week or two (give or take how long they manage to drag the process out) she'd hand them over to Leon. From there, it would be a matter of whether they could be adopted together that decided if Leon would keep them in his custody or not. 

She wouldn't want to separate these brothers any more than Leon probably would - after-all, they seemed to need each other too much for that possibility.

Leon's white house was one of those in a white-picket-fence neighbourhood. You know the type. The big wrap-around porch? Kinda makes you jealous?

Yeah.

It was two-story in height but had a basement. Lucky for Leon, even pushing aside his monetary wealth (from the family that adopted him) he also had enough money from the state he was able to afford quite a bit of bedroom space for foster children. Between two bedrooms on the ground level, two upstairs, and three downstairs there was plenty enough room for Riku, the boys, and Leon's other foster kid Aqua.

She knocked upon making it to the chestnut door and it didn't take long for the two dogs Soul Eater, an overwhelming force of Chinese Red Dog, and Griever, Leon's beloved Australian Shepherd, to start barking. Nor did it take long for the door to be answered by a flustered looking Squall, who had obviously had just been serving Riku lunch (or perhaps preparing to do so when he got there)."Aerith?" He said in confusion, blinking in surprise from her unexpected visit. Aerith appraised him, finding her friend to have ever unruly hair, barely looking combed, with a black leather bomber jacket on today. She barely noticed the fur around his shoulders, it almost seemed a side-thought in the midst of how overwhelmed he looked.

She smiled, leaning back on her feet again; "Leon...I have a favour to ask you. Do you mind if I come in...?"

"I suppose not." And with that he stepped aside, leaving room for Aerith in the door-jam. "What's up?" 

Before she could answer she found herself being bombarded by a happy set of canines, both greatly affectionate. Leon was quick to interfere, taking Soul Eater back from Aerith by his collar since he was always the instigator. "Sorry-" He quickly commented, then called out; "Riku! Come take Soul into your room!"

It didn't take long for the lanky teen with long silver hair and a set of piercing aquamarine hues to appear over the bannister leading to the open layout kitchen and living quarters. "Yeah, yeah..." Without much time between the teen came down to take the collar from his father figure.

"Hello, Riku." Aerith smiled gently, causing the teen to at least gift her the pleasure of a minor grin.

Given all that Riku had been through it was a pleasant thing to spot anything within proximity to a smile on his face. "Doc-" He addressed, tugging against the 80-pound monstrosity to keep him in check. 

"You have school off today?"

"Yeah." Riku mentioned, not elaborating at first. He wasn't a man of many words anyways, partly from what he'd been through in his youth and partly because he was naturally reserved. "...semester 's done." He shifted awkwardly, not the most social type, and gesticulated towards the canine. Aerith gave him an understanding nod and the teenager took his hound back up the stairs and out of sight. It seems that Griever was too interested in the location of Riku and Soul Eater to notice the people he was leaving behind. This left Leon and Aerith to their business, following only long enough to make their way into the kitchen. Leon paused only long enough to call after Riku that he and his friend Roxas should keep their volume down.

Aerith sat down in one of the wooden chairs, barely taking in the tones of baby blue on the walls and tiled silver and white linoleum. Instead, she turned back towards Leon just as the male started in on chopping a few carrots up again. "You eat?"

She smiled at the offer, knowing it was his way of asking. "I have." And after a second of consideration ended with; "Leon...did you mention you were looking to take in another again since Terra and Tidus were adopted out?"

The sound of chopped carrots sliding to the side, via a scraping knife, (as a new vegetable took their place) filled a few beats of silence before Leon hummed in acknowledgement; "Province doesn't have any kids up right now. Why...you find someone?"

Aerith tried to stile a grin at the singular pronouns, failed, and then backtracked to the story before she was giggling; "I know the father. He's a good man but-"

"-can't take responsibility for his own children..." Leon concluded with a glare at his own cooking. One could swear that the veggies for his roast had done something worthy of ostracization from the way he burned a hole into their very being. 

"It's not like that." She defended Cloud for what seemed like the millionth time in their lives; "He's just a little disorganized. He came to me because he wants what's best for the boys-"

"-Boys?"

"Three." The statement of Aerith's left Squall Leonhart's eyes to widen for a moment before he cleared the frog in his throat.

"...I'm not sure-" Leon's heart went out to them, but he already had two: how was he to-?

"They'll have nowhere to go." Aerith hated guilt-tripping Leon, but she didn't want to see Cloud screw up and leave these boys on their own. "...Cloud-" She caught herself and smiled with more of an explanation; "My friend- told me they lost their mothers in a car accident."

"Car crash?" He cursed, soft eyes scrunching up, "Just like Riku's father-"

"Which is why I thought you'd know how to help..." Aerith crossed her fingers over the table and crossed her legs, the bow holding up her ponytail shifting with the motion.

Leon opened his mouth and immediately closed it, looking away. It was almost like he was trapped for a few seconds before his shoulder slumped; "When can I meet them..." It was obvious from his tone he felt pressured, but more because at the end of the day he was a big softy than by Aerith. This left the other brunet to get up and hug her friend, pulling back long enough to answer the previous question and leaving Squall looking overwhelmed by human contact.

He always was a socially awkward one, despite having gotten mildly better across the years.

"Actually..."


	3. Papa Cloud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cloud finds they're kind of cute for "gremlins"...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goood...christ this took a while to update. Sorry about that...

Cloud pulled his arms up, putting away the last of his equipment upon the rack overhead. He'd already stopped the music and cleaned up his area. There was a man earlier who'd left after an hour's session, the last customer of his day.

When things were done at the shop he mostly just messed around by talking up Tifa at the counter of NecroNoir (the goth store across the mall she worked at when not at the Seventh Heaven, a bar across the city) or trying to worm his way into somebody's pants using Fenrir out front. When all else fails though, he sometimes spent time wandering his shop and doing maintenance. Tonight he had no choice but to stay put and work on finishing up his own ink since it was a good distraction from what awaited him back at his apartment.

It was around 8:30 pm and since it was so close to the holidays the mall always closed up early. The mall had already shut down its speakers, and the annoying, over-exaggerated Santa had left about an hour and a half ago. Just as Cloud took note that security was already doing a sweep to make sure everybody had locked up or were about to, he was called out to by Zack. "I'm headed out, Cloud...I already cleaned my area an hour ago." The blonde looked up to see his co-worker leaning on one of the random sword stands (something they offered for aesthetic purposes at a premium price for those who saw fit to own them) and grinning; "You're headed to Inertia, again, right? Vincent and I are headed to check out the raffles. Besides, we might have a live one if ya catch my drift."

Cloud swallowed back the temptation and groaned; "Not tonight." 

Zack raised both of his dark eyebrows: sky-blue, luminescent eyes looking more than mildly surprised; "One night in an entire year you don't? Damn, dude, are you some sane all of a sudden? I figured you'd hop right on the offer since Vincent was coming-"

The blonde rubbed his two eyebrows with a hum; Vincent and he certainly had their speckled interminglings, but there was no love lost between them at the end of the day. It was more for the sex and fantasies than it was anything emotional; "Not interested. That's all."

"Oh I get it-" Zack grinned, waggling his eyebrows; "You're takin' home someone already. Shit, dude, was it cuz'a Fenrir? That bike always does make 'em fall to your feet. You gotta let me borrow it-" It made Cloud flinch when he realized that Zack was like Sora. He was a ray of rainbow energy that never stopped - kind of like the energizer bunny but somehow even more so. The two might even get along if they'd ever met and that made Cloud shake his head and sigh as he locked up the glass doors holding back the different colours of ink they offered.

"Get in line." It was Vincent this time, no doubt stopping over to pick up Zack since the bastard's car broke down last week. In typical fashion of the male, he had to act over dramatic by stepping into the conversation without even so much as announcing himself.

"When did I offer you?" Cloud mentioned bitterly, but mildly affectionately towards his long time off-and-on sex partner.

"-A year ago at Inertia; but that's another matter." He said, eyes seeming to glow over the top of that (Cloud would call it weird ass) bundled, red cloak and scarf. The two goths stared at one another for a few seconds before Cloud huffed and walked onward - leading them out towards the large, encompassing, white hallway almost all Malls featured.  
  
"Was this during or after you came?" Cloud implied accurately, knowing full well it was probably a spur of the moment attempt to get in Vincent's pants - or visa versa.  
  
Vincent ignored the snide comment. "What's wrong." There was a reason why that statement didn't have a question mark at the end of it. It wasn't a question, not really. Honestly, it was a demand that Cloud give him insight into the workings of his head. Not that Vincent particularly expected more than just a snarky answer and avoidance, but he actually tried sometimes with the blond.

Cloud could have choked on his own saliva at the question and that probably would have made him look completely incompetent as a human being. Luckily, he managed to keep composure and glare at nothing and nobody in particular; "Don't act." He accused, giving him part of that glare as he slammed down the shutters a little too harshly before locking them down.

"I'm not. Unlike _you_ , I try to give a shit." Vincent responded, looking eerily calm and making the third party look increasingly uncomfortable the more they bickered.

"Hey, let's just...take a ch-" Zack, the aforementioned party, didn't even finish.

"Hmph..." Cloud was already huffing as he started off towards the mall's sliding doors - tucking away his set of keys to the shop prior to taking out the keys for his 'baby'; "Your personality says otherwise."

Vincent was a lot more composed than Cloud; mostly because he actually managed to be in touch with his emotions. "You have better sense than your temper suggests. Now: What. Is. wrong." 

"Nothing- so make like the vampires you get off on and bite me-"

"Didn't...need to know that, about him, boss..." Zack interjected amusingly, breaking up their 'not-so-lovers' quarrel' long enough to cause Vincent to let out a soft noise, which was as close as he came to outright laughing.

"Are you truly surprised? He practically is one." Tifa's voice mentioned as she joined them on their way to Fenrir and Vincent's old, black Ford. At this point, it was practically like the wolf pack had gotten together from the movies. 

"He's definitely not a traditional goth." Zack quipped back, happy to have someone else in the room besides himself. The two grinned at each other while Vincent looked stagnant as ever; however, Cloud knew the bastard well enough to tell he was blushing underneath his over-sized red cape-like coat.

"Honestly, Vinnie: tell us straight - are you a-"

"He can't tell you straight." Zack interrupted Tifa, making her laugh.

"Point taken." 

At this point they'd reached the parking garage, the four of them said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Vincent seemed more convinced than ever something was up when Cloud refused, once again, to join him and Zack on their venture to Inertia. But Zack stepped in to distract him and lead him off, winking back at Cloud in a way that caused him to be relieved. For once, he actually appreciated the annoying dark-haired employee turned 'friend'. 

Yet as he made it to his tricked-out bike, putting his hand on it appreciatively as ever in greeting (yes, he greets his motorcycle, a completely inanimate object), his blue eyes caught sight of Tifa's form in the reflection of his well-waxed motorbike. Turning his head the male frowned slightly, eye-brows furrowing; "What?" He snapped a little more harshly than intended. Perhaps that was just how he acted around her, after-all she knew him better than anybody else in this world (even Aerith) and that scared the blond who was normally so quiet about his past. After-all, Tifa was his childhood friend. She was there when his father-

 _Well,_ did what he did, that day-

"Aerith told me everything-"

"Of course." He rolled his eyes; "You two are attached at the hip..."

Tifa smiled with strain; "You know better than to act defensive with me, Cloud-" She raised an eyebrow, causing the male to avert his gaze and give a brooding look towards the concrete.

"Whatever." He sounded like a petulant teenager, but he didn't have much of a come-back as there wasn't much to say. She was right, after-all, and he hated to admit when people were right besides himself. "What of it?"

"Are you...alright? I know it's a lot-"

"It's nothing I can't handle." He lied blatantly, interrupting her and turning his body prior to swinging one leg over the side of Fenrir. It was an obvious attempt to start disengaging with this whole situation. It wasn't like he didn't care for Tifa, in his own way, after all - she was his closest friend and he loved her about as much as his actual biological sister, Lightning. However, he, again, was not very good with his emotions. So opening up wasn't something that he preferred to do, especially not to the bartender whom had known him almost as long as he 'knew' (the operative word is probably knew, he didn't truly understand himself in any way) himself.

"...it's always something you ' _can'_ handle." She tried putting her hand out to place it upon his, stopping him from starting up the motorbike. He flinched slightly; he never liked human contact and so whenever Tifa crossed the line and touched him he became immediately uncomfortable. She did this quite frequently, annoying him just as often. It was probably a mark of his relationship with her that he put up with it and didn't snap at her for it.

"Yeah...?" He asked in lieu of the word 'really?' - eyes averted.

She nodded, "Mhmm..."

"Well, it still is." This caused Tifa to look slightly dismayed as Cloud shook her off and started up his bike with a harsh motion that reflected the fact that he was, yet again, hiding his true emotions behind a mask for other's sake. "Besides, it's only a few days, then they'll be out of my hair."

"...but do you really want that, Cloud?"

Cloud paused for a second, killing his engine as soon as he'd started it. "Why would you ask me that?"

"Because I know you-"

There was a few beats in between the two before Cloud scoffed internally, brushing off the possibility; "Of course I know. I can't live a life with one gremlin, in the picture, let alone three." And with that he started up Fenrir again, gearing up to leave just as Tifa tacked on.

"...I said I know you, Cloud. And I know somewhere, admitted or not, you see these kids and you're afraid of turning out like your father but-"

"Goodbye, Tifa." He snarled, a little more ferocious than he usually was when it came to her. And with that he spun the bike around and took off, a little too fast for what was considered socially acceptable. It left the bartender standing there with a slightly hurt, but more knowing look. Somehow, she sensed that was crossing the line with him. But perhaps sometimes crossing the line was the only way to reach him-

* * *

Cloud was growling, Tifa's words rattling around in his head-space, as he ripped off his coat and threw it casually onto the sofa. He didn't even bother to look at the fact that Vanitas was there, so when there was a giggle he jumped with wide eyes, his distracted mind having caused him to not notice the others in the room. Aerith smiled something soft at the sound of Vanitas's giggle and the struggle to get out from under his father's coat. " _Waaaaarm-_!"

" ** _Vanny_** -" Saxon's breathless tone filled the air, exasperation and amusement showing despite his naturally calm expression. He was situated with his knees pulled up to the side and over the right arm of Cloud's favourite, black leather chair. Cloud was a little taken aback that Saxon had navigated himself so easily to the spot, gravitating to it's dark leather and red highlights like it was a beacon (Like father, like son?). Or perhaps the blond was just overthinking the matter.

Sora was on the floor, eating some kind of snacks and sprawled watching a TV program Aerith had engaged him and Vanitas in. Vanny, having previously been sitting cross-legged on the sofa, prior to his bombardment at the hands of Cloud Strife, was now brushing down his hair and swinging his legs out to get comfy again. The rooms tones of black contrasted greatly with Sora's dirty, white shirt, blue pants, and Vanitas's penitent for wearing clothing with giant cartoon characters on it.

"It is!" Vanitas finally managed to throw the black overcoat away from him and glared at his brother like he was questioning his integrity. 

Saxon chuffed mildly, dropping his Playstation Portable long enough to hold his hands up in defeat/deference; "Whatever-"

"That's what Le-Le said!" Vanitas giggled, making Cloud perk up to the conversation again.

Aerith covered her mouth like there was an inside joke Cloud had missed, causing him to narrow his eyes questioningly at her for inference. Yet, before she could even notice the poignant look of speculative curiosity, Sora seemed to jump up from his spot on the floor at the sight of a flashy superhero on screen and his kissing his love interest; "EW, NO, **GROOOOSS** -"

Saxon was quick to glare at the loud interruption; "-'swear you sound like the Dragonborn when you get like this-"

"Dragonborn?" Sora laughed; "What the hell do you mean, dude?" Aerith flinched at the language the spiky brunette gave off. Cloud knew her long enough to know she had heard him in his worst moments of juicy dissatisfaction (which was about as bad as any sailor's lips); however, it wasn't like she was fond of any level of coarse language.

"I mean you're _BOOMINGLY_ loud, and that gets on my nerves-"

Cloud blinked, realizing that Saxon looked genuinely bothered and irritable. Earlier, he seemed so quiet and rational; it seems that something had changed in between the time he left and now. 

Aerith seemed to pipe up, saving this from impending disaster (thank god for her); "Saxon, do you think perhaps you're being a little hard on your brother?" She had a tone that Cloud had heard a few times before. It was something she'd picked up to help settle disputes between children, a soft tone that brought reassurance to those listening and trying to exude understanding for their feelings.

Saxon opened his mouth for a moment and then scowled; "Yeah...maybe." And with another huff he sighed, seemingly reluctantly muttering; "Sorry.."

"It's alright, Saxaphone. I forgive ya." Sora beamed, eyes closing, head tilting sideways, and mouth grinning so widely you'd swear the Joker couldn't even quite compare. Granted, it was obviously not the same kind of grin, but it was still bigger than life itself and half as wide to tack onto that.

"Sora?" Aerith seemed to change direction, "Do you think you could respect your brothers wishes and be a little quieter?" She gave him a soft smile, one that was almost dazzling and kind. Cloud had a hard time trying not to admire the fact that the look was so sweet it probably could lull even their boisterous friend Barrett into complacency.

This time the brunette looked a little shame faced, grinning with a blush on his features; "Guess so. Didn' mean to make ya uncomfy, Saxaphone." His eyes were back open again, head tilted downwards in a way that showed humility. It was kind of a cute expression all things considered, especially since those blue hues (that reminded Cloud all too much of his own) were on his brother and looking more than slightly wide eyed and pitiable.

What surprised Cloud even more was the fact that Saxon actually reciprocated; "Yeah. It's fine."

Whistling a crescendo Cloud-ever-loving-Strife found himself in absolute awe of how easily Aerith diffused this. She handled the two of them like a pro and that left Cloud to wonder if he should ask for tips.

Then again, he supposed he wouldn't really have them for that long, would he?

"Cloud-" Aerith was right next to him and it took him a startled step for his recognition of this fact to kick in. When had she crossed the room and made it to him so quietly? "Would you like to talk in the other room before I go?" Cloud looked over Aerith's shoulder at the three boys all situated down again, seeing that Saxon was back on his game (currently making a lot of strange battle noises) while Vanitas and Sora watched the movie onscreen. It took this observation for him to note that this movie was probably some de-make of Superman, the wild blue and red spandex giving it away just a little bit. This gesture didn't seem to go unnoticed by Aerith, whom smiled mildly and knowingly; "They'll be fine. It'll only be a moment."

So with a nod, Cloud found something leaving his lips he immediately regretted; "Alright. _Let's mosey_ , then."

Aerith covered her mouth with a stifled laugh and Cloud's features lit up. He didn't splutter, that wasn't in his nature; however, he did give off a glare towards the wall he hoped would reflect back onto himself and turned his body around. Save only for her grace Aerith said nothing on the horribly goofy statement and the both of them traversed to his bedroom and on out through the connecting balcony, shielded by a sliding door he was so fond of. Honestly, that was one of his main reasons for renting the apartment. When he woke up in the middle of the night in one of his cold sweats (on rare days he didn't take somebody to his bedroom) he was able to sit up and look outside without much hassle. Something about looking at the clouds that rolled past the stars or even the twinkling outline of the stars themselves seemed befittingly calming. 

He'd never mentioned it to anybody, but his favourite thing during it's time of the year was seeing Leo up in the sky. There was always something comforting about looking out at it. Even when he was a child, broken and bruised from- _well-_

_**Anyways.** _

He settled his palms against the railing and looked out at the twinkling (9:30 pm) night sky of Traverse Town. Funny thing about the name Traverse Town, was it never really seemed like a town to him. It was a place of about 500,000 people, a far cry from his hometown Nibelheim and the grand amount of 145 people who lived there. Back in his hometown he could name everybody, their kids, and their grandparents. You probably even knew their dog/cat's name and where and from whom they adopted it from. But Cloud never fit in back home, it was too quiet for a restless soul like himself and the backwards nature of small towns meant that there were negative opinions on anybody slightly out of the norm (we're not just talking about his being Goth, here).

Of course, feelings were always bent for him, especially since-

"I talked to Leon." Aerith was leaning against the railing on her elbows; "He's willing to take them in..."

"Mmm..." Something inside Cloud felt a sense of relief, but somewhere else the news rang hollow. He refused to allow Tifa's words to return to his head, as reasoning, pushing them back down to the depths where he kept every other experience he wished to ignore. "He is the best thing for them: you can swear on that?"

A sigh escaped Aerith's lips prior to shaking her head; "Yes, Cloud." Then a chuckle; "I can."

There was mild hesitation, Cloud's eyes staring off into the void of dark buildings and twinkling lights burning their way into the night from signs and illuminated windows who's residences weren't quite ready to call it a night. How long ago had it been since he'd felt the bruises along his arms starting to heal and internal injuries finally mending themselves with the help of medical professionals who volunteered their time to help orphans from bad and broken homes-? How long ago was it that he looked upwards on these buildings from half a mile away, coming into Traverse Town for the first time and wondering if he was going to finally be able to escape? Was that what _they_ felt like when they looked up at his complex? Had they saw so many burning windows and saw an escape, too-?

"You have that look, again-" Came the brunette's soft voice, calm and tinkling as the cityscape sprawled out before them.

"Hmm?" Indescribably gorgeous blue eyes flashed over, curious eyebrows worrying the bridge of his nose and tight lips willingly curling into downward confusion. 

"The one you get when you're ruminating..."

"I don't ruminate." That was so horrible Cloud could practically feel his nose growing. The male shifted his lithe weight over, coming to rest on his forearms. The motion caused his ass to stick out slightly, but the blond didn't pay attention to this fact. 

"Oh?" She giggled into her palm before softly pulling her arms back behind her. At this point she broke off eye-contact again and glanced out towards the city that lay sprawling beyond them. It looked so calm right now; however, it was a visual lie that hid off dark alleys with muggings, broken cars stalled out on the side of the road, and broken hearts wandering the streets - wondering where their place in the world was. Just like the man next to her, Aerith noted.

Cloud hummed in affirmation of his blatant lie, quiet nature showing.

"You know...it's strange..."

"Mmm?" The blond asked in a single syllable, again.

Her fingers tangled around one another from behind her back, hooking as she swung softly and observed one of her favourite people in the entire world despite all his flaws. "...it's just...Leon and you are strangely alike sometimes..." 

This seemed to catch the blond's attention, "...oh we are, are we?" Cloud had one of his signature almost grins, raising his head with a fleetingly teasing expression that flickered across his face like a flame that didn't quite have enough oxygen to burn hot. 

Aerith softly chimed in with one of her cute noises of confirmation, "He can have a whole conversation fluently in 'quiet'."

"Maybe I should meet him." And just as the previous analogy mentioned annotated, those beautiful features burned out from the expression again. Cloud's blue orbs taking a gander back at the stars, blond spiky bangs shifting closer to his ears. 

"That's a good idea." Aerith mentioned capitally, rocking on the balls of her feet.

The statement caused Cloud to cough and choke slightly, trying to wrap his brain around what the brunette female in the soft, pink dress had said. Yet, just as the statement started working over in his brain the blond sighed, realizing he probably had to anyways to sign over the custody of his children. Especially since he was the sole benefactor of their well-fare and all. "Not a choice. Have'ta sign them, right?"

Aerith nodded a couple times before seemingly checking her watch and realizing that it was almost 9:45 at this point; "Ah-" She breathed softly, concerned; "I have to run, Cloud. Work in the morning-"

"You're...just gunna **_leave_** these gremlins here?" Cloud could have had a panic attack at the thought of his being the sole caretaker.

"You'll be fine-" She kissed him on the cheek, a quick peck that meant nothing more than a comfortingly friendly gesture; "Leon knows a lawyer who's going to be there for the signing. Just keep track of them until tomorrow. Tifa has offered to watch them tomorrow so you can meet Leon and see for yourself what kind of man he is. After that, if you _absolutely_ can't take them Tifa and I will try and find some room for them until Friday, alright?" She gave him an understanding, but thin smile. It was obvious she had faith in his abilities to tend to these children and was only frustrated at his sense that they were anything less than traumatized siblings just needing guidance in order to behave.

"I-..."

"Thanks, Cloud." She patted his cheek before he could say anything more to object, walking off and slipping through the glass doors. Cloud watched her go over his shoulder, knowing better than to stop her once she made her mind up about something like this. Instead he just huffed slightly and looked back out into the night again for a while. Capricorn danced in the sky, it's graceful horns shuffled up in a prideful mannerism Cloud could have envied. _Oh to be so sure of one's self-_

As he watched the twinkling Zodiac based goat Cloud was reminded of a fable he once heard his mother tell him as a child. It was one of the handful of positive memories he had of that time.

**_A Wolf spied a Goat grazing at the top of a steep cliff._ _“That is a very dangerous place for you,” he called out, pretending to be very anxious about the Goat’s safety. “What if you should fall! Please listen to me and come down! Here you can get all you want of the finest, tenderest grass in the country.”_ **

**_The Goat looked over the edge of the cliff. "_ _How very, very anxious you are about me,” she said, “and how generous you are with your grass! But I know you! It’s your own appetite you are thinking of, not mine!”_ **

He felt like the wolf in the story for some reason.

Was it selfish of him to invite his children over to this Leon's? Was he only thinking of himself, and his life, not the lives of his children? Surely they would be better off in a home with stability and reason. It would assuredly be that they'd be well tended there if Aerith vouches for this 'mysterious' individual. In his care, they'd be doing nothing but going straight into the wolves mouth, falling from the cliff stiff and injured. Perhaps he'd never intend to eat them alive, but it would happen. Everybody he cared about inevitably got hurt at some point. Besides that, even, he could barely manage his own self-care, sometimes.

Admittedly, he had things rattling in his head he'd never even told his own shrink. So if he could barely manage to heal himself, how was he going to heal children from their own trauma - and take care of them at the same time?

 _They need you, no more games._ Aerith's words started rattling around in his cortex and causing him room for doubt.

"Papa Cloud?" Came a voice that melted his heart in ways he'd never imagined (yet simultaneously used a name that made him want to jump from the balcony then and there); "Sora won' stop watching the movie and Aunty Aery-" Aunty _Aery-_? What the **hell** -? "-said to talk t' you if somethin' was wrong. I'm tired. Please, Sora won' stop. Is it alright if I sleep 'n here?" The blond whirled out of his ruminations and towards facing the small raven-haired boy with gold eyes. He was holding onto some kind of worn out stuffed dog. One of the eyes were missing and it looked badly sewn, like it'd been ripped up from being loved so much it'd been taken everywhere.

Vanitas must've opened and closed the panel door, on his own, for it was yet again sealed up.

In the distance Cloud heard a car screech in the street to an uncomfortable halt (possibly even into an oncoming car), which (...to be fair) felt like his heart; for it had landed somewhere in the pit of his stomach and was now doing awkward somersaults like it was learning to be an acrobat. "I-" He was suddenly grateful he left his sheets to be cleaned after last night. "I...guess?"

The boy lit up like the Fourth of July and Cloud had a hard time not finding it cute as Vanitas ran forward and wrapped his spindly arms around the blond's legs in a hug. Although Cloud looked ridged and awkward, something inside him felt like the old story of the Grinch in a weird way. 

A stream of ' _thank you_ 's were coming from the boy and Cloud had a hard time prying him away for about 56.729806516394 seconds (give or take a few minor miscalculations). When he finally did Vanitas went running straight into the glass, the poor lad. The blond flinched slightly and was forced to come forward, sliding it back open and offering the child sanction towards his room again. Vanitas giggled and mentioned something about how he forgot it was there, running towards the big, soft bed with black and blue sheets and pouncing on top of it. Cloud sealed his door up again and bit his lip at the sight of the small boy snuggling his way down in the middle of his bed. 

Well, so much for sharing.

Normally the blond didn't even sleep until 12-4 am, depending on the day and what kind of company (or lack of company) he was keeping: so 9:30 pm was a wild time for him to imagine sleeping. As a result, Cloud supposed he didn't have to deal with this problem he'd allowed into his bed (literally) immediately. He pulled closed the curtains (a rarity, but he assumed that was a...parental [?] thing to do?) and started towards the hallway that bled into his living room just as Vanitas called out to him again; "Pa-P-Papa?"

The name didn't make him jump quite as much as the first time, but it still sent something up and down his spine from fear; "Mmm?"

"I..I'm scared o-of the dark." Vanitas was curled underneath his blanket all the way to his nose, so that his luminescent gold eyes were the only thing showing.

"Ah-" He quickly swallowed and turned on his lamp; "Uh..." Cloud awkwardly shuffled; "Better?" It flicked to life across the room, blinking against the small shadows of his furniture and showing more of Vanitas' messy black hair. Already the spikes were marked with the sign of being ruffled against his worn out pillows.

"No..." The boy un-tucked his features from underneath the blanket, as if just the simple light got him reassured enough to show his full face again. "...now it's too bright..."

"Ah-..." Cloud tapped his fingers a few times on the nightstand that held his lamp, (the small figures of Gothic dragons and the accompanying alarm clock vibrated slightly from the _tap-tap_ to their wooden surface) before glancing about the room. His closet was filled to the brim with clothes, sex toys, shoes, his vacuum, and books. Cloud was almost sure that night-lights weren't on the menu.

However, his mind was critically thinking and it finally settled on a substitute.

So, held up a quick finger to tell Vanitas to wait and went into his bathroom, searching the many drawers until he finally pulled out a flashlight.

The idea he had was brilliant enough it just might work-

So, he returned the triumphant hero without so much of the swagger to his step, feet muffled along the carpet as he made his way to Vanitas. Leaning down when he arrived the male held out the flashlight in his palm and said; "Nothing scary about the dark. And if you feel there is, all you have to do is shine this."

"Sh...shine this?" Vanitas flicked it on intuitively, seemingly smart enough not to look directly into it and damage his eyes. 

"Mhm." Cloud nodded simply, not particularly articulate but meaning well. "Shadows can't exist without light & vice versa." 

"Duuuuuh..." The boy said like Cloud was captain obvious and being completely obnoxious.

Yet, Cloud had a point: he just wasn't particularly cogent. "You're not afraid of the light?"

"Well...no." The child was growing impatient and it was showing; his eyebrows furrowing in an attempt to figure out what Cloud was 'on'. Idly, his fingers tapped the flashlight back and forth against his chest, not really knowing it's purpose but fidgety enough to mess even so.

"Then don't be afraid of the dark." At this point Cloud was kneeling, biceps placed on the side of the bed as his palms occasionally gestured to emphasize the short sentences he usually spoke with; "...Just because you can't see the light: doesn't mean it's not there. You just...lost sight of it."

"Lost...sight of it?" 

"Precisely." And after tilting his head slightly, blond spikes shifting with the motion, Cloud added as an afterthought; "So..." He tapped the flashlight pointedly.

Vanitas finally seemed to get what he was trying to say, eyes brightening. "I get it!" He turned it on and off repeatedly, flashing the white illumination across the opposite wall menacingly; "Can't scare me dark! I got a light! Boo!"

Cloud blinked rapidly, finding his heart fluttering. It was a blatant betrayal of his sympathetic nervous system to allow him to find this child so...adorable. How could something so sweet and cute manage to lose their mother like this? If things were any different he'd take him i--

But no, he _couldn't._ **_Wouldn't_**. **Can't**. 

There was no place for children-

- _gremlins_ -

-in his world; "I uh...night." He finally said, awkwardly patting the boy on the shoulder and trying to shuffle out.

Just as he'd shut off the lamp and started to close the door however-

"Papa Cloud?"

"...yeah?"

"...I have to go to the bathroom."

_Sigh._


End file.
